Gave inspector false information

[coolBlud67]

Hello Everyone

Not too long ago I was stopped by a inspector and I had an invalid ticket for the ride, it was a wrong station name. Human error on my part.

I also had a child ticket for that specific incident. To cover this up I foolishly gave the inspector a fake date of birth
Every other detail correct

They believed me I assume as they gave me the child single rate + penalty fare which I paid online

Although Ive paid I am worried they will find out. I wont lie and say this isnt the first time Ive bought child and have done so a few times which is listed on my trainline history. They scanned my ticket aswell. Ive seen cases where peoples history have been audited?

What is the likelihood of me getting into trouble?

I am never going to buy wrong fares again, and I am going to buy adult from now on.

 

[SECR 65]

If you have paid the penalty fare, this should close the matter and any further investigations are highly unlikely.

However your name is now on the system, so if caught again you would not be so lucky and would probably be reported for prosecution. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that, as you realise, you must always have a valid ticket for your journey going forward.

 

[WesternLancer]

Hello Everyone

Not too long ago I was stopped by a inspector and I had an invalid ticket for the ride, it was a wrong station name. Human error on my part.

I also had a child ticket for that specific incident. To cover this up I foolishly gave the inspector a fake date of birth
Every other detail correct

They believed me I assume as they gave me the child single rate + penalty fare which I paid online

Although Ive paid I am worried they will find out. I wont lie and say this isnt the first time Ive bought child and have done so a few times which is listed on my trainline history. They scanned my ticket aswell. Ive seen cases where peoples history have been audited?

What is the likelihood of me getting into trouble?

I am never going to buy wrong fares again, and I am going to buy adult from now on.

See if a Railcard might help you reduce your fares legitimately.
But you must buy the railcard and pay attention to when you can use it correctly.

 

[coolBlud67]

If you have paid the penalty fare, this should close the matter and any further investigations are highly unlikely.

However your name is now on the system, so if caught again you would not be so lucky and would probably be reported for prosecution. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that, as you realise, you must always have a valid ticket for your journey going

If i was to get caught what would the punishment be and what % do u think I am very worried and stressed out and regretful

 

[walkingsophie]

If i was to get caught what would the punishment be and what % do u think I am very worried and stressed out and regretful

Depends on which train operating company this is

 

[SECR 65]

If i was to get caught what would the punishment be and what % do u think I am very worried and stressed out and regretful

You would be reported to the back office team who would in most cases review your ticket purchase history. Most Train Operating Companies will agree to an out of court settlement, usually the anytime single fare for each journey without a valid ticket, plus an admin fee. However, you could be prosecuted; Transport for London almost always do this.

A penalty fare will have resolved the matter in this case. As I said it is vital that you always hold correct tickets in future. You are anxious now, but you only have to look at other threads to see how scared people about to be prosecuted are. You may not be able to settle, and it could cost a lot of money. You've been lucky in this case, but make sure it never happens again: your luck will run out.

If you are asking the percentage chance of further action, maybe 5%.

 

[coolBlud67]

You would be reported to the back office team who would in most cases review your ticket purchase history. Most Train Operating Companies will agree to an out of court settlement, usually the anytime single fare for each journey without a valid ticket, plus an admin fee. However, you could be prosecuted; Transport for London almost always do this.

A penalty fare will have resolved the matter in this case. As I said it is vital that you always hold correct tickets in future. You are anxious now, but you only have to look at other threads to see how scared people about to be prosecuted are. You may not be able to settle, and it could cost a lot of money. You've been lucky in this case, but make sure it never happens again: your luck will run out.

If you are asking the percentage chance of further action, maybe 5%.

Since there is risk do you think it could be better if i contacted toc to be honest as it could be worse if they find out themselves

 

[Titfield]

Since there is risk do you think it could be better if i contacted toc to be honest as it could be worse if they find out themselves

No. Under no circumstances contact them and “fess up”.

Pay the penalty fare if you have not done so already. Always pay the correct fare going forward.

Keep your fingers crossed that they do not investigate further. There is a very small chance they will do so.TOCs nearly always close the case when the penalty fare is paid because if the Ticket Inspector had been suspicious of other wrong doing he would have issued a travel irregularity report (telling the back office team to investigate) at the time and not a penalty fare.

 

[WesternLancer]

Since there is risk do you think it could be better if i contacted toc to be honest as it could be worse if they find out themselves

No it would not be better if you contacted them.

Because you can deal with the matter if it happens.
and
Because it would not be worse if they found out themselves.

 

[Blaine]

And stop using Trainline for future purchases.

 

[Haywain]

If i was to get caught what would the punishment be and what % do u think I am very worried and stressed out and regretful

I do hope that you are not considering continuing your fare evasion, because it's only by doing so that you'd have any concerns about being caught.

 

[coolBlud67]

No it would not be better if you contacted them.

Because you can deal with the matter if it happens.
and
Because it would not be worse if they found out themselves.

I am very young and worried about the impact it could have if discovered later. Genuinely cannot get it off my mind everyday and it feels wrong to just do nothing and wait. By confessing am I really not doing myself a favor? If I confess is there a chance would I be able to pay it back and thats end of or not? I am extremely scared. Shouldnt i atleast tell them my real detail. after discovering what i did is a offence I am very very worried and I dont want a even more giant escalation. I am going to buy valid obviously from now on, but I am too worried that is not going to be enough.

 

[jumble]

Since there is risk do you think it could be better if i contacted toc to be honest as it could be worse if they find out themselves

Just consider this
If you go and fess up to this then you are ( very slight chance) giving them the easiest prosecution they will ever have because you admitted to the crime
There is no upside to opening your mouth whatever
We have never heard of anyone who had the time or energy to pursue a paid up PF

 

[AlterEgo]

You need to pay the proper fare going forward and stop committing low level crime, if you have managed to finesse yourself into this level of fear by getting Penalty Fared. Try to forget about this, and try to learn from the experience.

 

[SECR 65]

I completely understand what you're feeling and have sometimes felt a similar way myself in other situations.

But, think about it like this. You've been issued with a penalty fare, which has achieved two things:

• Reclaimed much of the money the railway has lost in evaded fares.
• Convinced you not to fare evade again.

These two points are the only aims of the railway's revenue protection policies. Therefore, the railway has succeeded in your case. This means that:

• The railway has no need to take further action, as the penalty fare has achieved the desired effect.
• You do not need to feel ongoingly concerned, as you have been punished, both financially and emotionally.

Provided you have learnt your lesson, and do not fare evade again, both of these points remain true. The railway will not investigate you further unless you fare evade again. You do not need to feel bad unless you fare evade again. This is a new chapter, and you have learnt your lesson.

I know how hard it is to drop it, and I know how tempting it is to take action to make things right, but trust me, you just have to try to let it go.

As wrong as it feels, sometimes the best resolution to a problem is doing nothing. By choosing to do nothing, you are making a conscious choice that doing nothing is the best resolution to the problem. Hence, you have acted to resolve the situation in the best way available to you.

The best thing you can do now is to always ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey in future. What has happened in the past cannot be changed. One has to focus on the future, learn from mistakes, and just try to improve for next time.

It's very easy in situations like these to lose perspective. Fare evasion is a big issue for the railway, and yes, it is a signifcant offence. However, it has become much more significant to you then it ever was to the railway. You have to think, from the view of the member of staff at the TOC, it would be a very odd letter to recieve from someone admitting to fare evasion.

I completely understand how you can so easily end up in the rabbit hole of doom. But try and calm down. It is not the end of the world.

 

[coolBlud67]

I completely understand what you're feeling and have sometimes felt a similar way myself in other situations.

But, think about it like this. You've been issued with a penalty fare, which has achieved two things:

• Reclaimed much of the money the railway has lost in evaded fares.
• Convinced you not to fare evade again.

These two points are the only aims of the railway's revenue protection policies. Therefore, the railway has succeeded in your case. This means that:

• The railway has no need to take further action, as the penalty fare has achieved the desired effect.
• You do not need to feel ongoingly concerned, as you have been punished, both financially and emotionally.

Provided you have learnt your lesson, and do not fare evade again, both of these points remain true. The railway will not investigate you further unless you fare evade again. You do not need to feel bad unless you fare evade again. This is a new chapter, and you have learnt your lesson.

I know how hard it is to drop it, and I know how tempting it is to take action to make things right, but trust me, you just have to try to let it go.

As wrong as it feels, sometimes the best resolution to a problem is doing nothing. By choosing to do nothing, you are making a conscious choice that doing nothing is the best resolution to the problem. Hence, you have acted to resolve the situation in the best way available to you.

The best thing you can do now is to always ensure you have the correct ticket for your journey in future. What has happened in the past cannot be changed. One has to focus on the future, learn from mistakes, and just try to improve for next time.

It's very easy in situations like these to lose perspective. Fare evasion is a big issue for the railway, and yes, it is a signifcant offence. However, it has become much more significant to you then it ever was to the railway. You have to think, from the view of the member of staff at the TOC, it would be a very odd letter to recieve from someone admitting to fare evasion.

I completely understand how you can so easily end up in the rabbit hole of doom. But try and calm down. It is not the en

Thank you for this. I have fully learned my lesson and will never travel irresponsibly again. If something does happen from this I will have to take responsibility. Hopefully I can get advice to prevent escalation if it does happen, but for now I suppose I will let it rest and keep my fingers crossed. I am deeply regretful for this and I will take actions to ensure it does not happen again

 

[SECR 65]

If you're wanting to write to the railway and tell them that you have a history of fare evasion, then you are likely to end up paying a large sum or even in court. As silly as it sounds I can understand that you'd rather spend a few hundred quid getting it sorted instead of hanging over you.

I'm actually finding this really hard, because if I were in the position you are in, I would so desperately want to write to them just like you do.

At the end of the day, you can write to them if you want, but noone on here is going to recommend it, and I can't say that I particularly do.

If you do choose to write to them, post what you want to say on here and I can help proof read and suggest improvements.

I feel that other members will feel that writing to them is an absurd idea, but personally, I can sympathise with your situation.

If you want to write to them then you'll need to tell us what TOC we're dealing with. I'm sure someone can find you the address and it will also affect what you want to say.

 

[coolBlud67]

If you're wanting to write to the railway and tell them that you have a history of fare evasion, then you are likely to end up paying a large sum or even in court. As silly as it sounds I can understand that you'd rather spend a few hundred quid getting it sorted instead of hanging over you.

I'm actually finding this really hard, because if I were in the position you are in, I would so desperately want to write to them just like you do.

At the end of the day, you can write to them if you want, but noone on here is going to recommend it, and I can't say that I particularly do.

If you do choose to write to them, post what you want to say on here and I can help proof read and suggest improvements.

I feel that other members will feel that writing to them is an absurd idea, but personally, I can sympathise with your situation.

If you want to write to them then you'll need to tell us what TOC we're dealing with. I'm sure someone can find you the address and it will also affect what you want to say.

Sorry i dont mean to talk about the ones i evaded i meant correcting my personal details i gave the inspector

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Sorry i dont mean to talk about the ones i evaded i meant correcting my personal details i gave the inspector

You will find a template for correcting name and address elsewhere on this site.

In that template, you quote sufficient information to enable them to find your case and then ask them to record your name and address correctly for any future correspondence.

The risk if you do nothing is that they investigate your electronic footprint, find that there may be a case to answer, write to you, receive no response and proceed to prosecution. It's also possible that they make a civil claim for which the burden of proof is lower.

It's just as possible that with receipt of the penalty fare, they've closed the case and you are no longer of interest.

 

[coolBlud67]

You will find a template for correcting name and address elsewhere on this site.

In that template, you quote sufficient information to enable them to find your case and then ask them to record your name and address correctly for any future correspondence.

The risk if you do nothing is that they investigate your electronic footprint, find that there may be a case to answer, write to you, receive no response and proceed to prosecution. It's also possible that they make a civil claim for which the burden of proof is lower.

It's just as possible that with receipt of the penalty fare, they've closed the case and you are no longer of interest.

Thanks- I gave correct name and address but however i told them the wrong age. Should i still consider writing?

 

[MarlowDonkey]

Thanks- I gave correct name and address but however i told them the wrong age. Should i still consider writing?

Only if you want to admit to an offence of buying a child ticket when not eligible. The forum's usual advice is to wait until they make a specific accusation and that's only going to happen if they make a speculative trawl of your ticket buying history. They have your contact details so there's no danger of them prosecuting you without being aware of it.

 

[WesternLancer]

Thanks- I gave correct name and address but however i told them the wrong age. Should i still consider writing?

No.

 

[SECR 65]

I am inclined to agree. The important thing is that the TOC are able to contact you and that you recieve the letter. This means that you cannot be prosecuted without your knowledge. If there are any errors in finer details then these can be delat with when the railway company write to you.

 

[coolBlud67]

I am inclined to agree. The important thing is that the TOC are able to contact you and that you recieve the letter. This means that you cannot be prosecuted without your knowledge. If there are any errors in finer details then these can be delat with when the railway company write to you.

So what can I expect if they do find out what I have done. I am a minor and consequences could have a significant future on my record

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impact on future*

 

[SECR 65]

So what can I expect if they do find out what I have done. I am a minor and consequences could have a significant future on my record

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impact on future*

I don't know how it works if you are under 18.

I'm afraid I've basically forgotten what we were even discussing here since all of your posts have been deleted.

If I remember correctly, you recieved a penalty fare for a ticket irregularity. Short fare? Or was it an error of starting station. You gave a fake date of birth to line up with the fact that you had bought a child ticket.

If I'm remembering the right thread, then we established that after a penalty fare there is unlikely to be any further action againgst you.

Without knowing any details of your case, as they have been removed, or what TOC you're dealing with, I'm afraid there is no more advice I can give.

You probably wouldn't end up in court but a) I haven't seen many child ticket cases since I joined the forum and b) we have very few details about your case.

As you will appreciate, I, just like the multitude of other members who give up their time to advise on here, are churning through dozens of threads each week and skimming them quickly to reply in between other things we're trying to do. It is virtually impossible to remember each case individually.

I appreciate that you wish to remove details of your case, but with so little information to go by, I'm afraid I can help no more.

Do feel free to ask questions, but to give any answer of use, we'll need some background information.

 

[Haywain]

So what can I expect if they do find out what I have done. I am a minor and consequences could have a significant future on my record

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impact on future*

If you are under 18 you would probably just get a warning, as TfL don't tend to prosecute minors.

 

[WesternLancer]

So what can I expect if they do find out what I have done. I am a minor and consequences could have a significant future on my record

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impact on future*

They’ve got better things to do than engage with corrections about your age.
Just try to forget about it.